New report predicts 2015 might be record year for giving

According to the new report, giving to education is estimated to have increased 8.9 percent between 2012 and 2013, to $52.07 billion. Adjusted for inflation, giving to education organizations increased 7.4 percent. (Picture above, students from Breakthrough Austin’s graduation celebration this year.)

Who’s giving to what nonprofit organizations and causes and how much? That’s what the Giving USA Report collects and shares every year, and it’s a valuable tool for crafting a fundraising strategy.

Overall, the news for the sector is good – we may be out of the slump after all.

According to The Chronicle of Philanthropy, “The upward swing is strong enough that “Giving USA” researchers revised their view on when giving might surpass its peak of $350-billion in 2007. Donations might reach this mark this year, or at least in 2015, three years sooner than researchers had previously expected.”

Forbes magazine reports more good news: “The single largest contributor to the increase in total charitable giving in 2013, over 2012, was an increase of $9.69 billion in giving by individuals (in current dollars).”

As the most reliable and biggest source of donations, the fact that individuals’ donations are on the rise bode well for giving overall. The report was researched and written by the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.

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